


The Tricks of Six

by TAFKAmayle



Series: Then There Were Six [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:41:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TAFKAmayle/pseuds/TAFKAmayle
Summary: The daring rescue of Geoff Ramsey performed by six disasters in human form.TW: This fic contains a Ryan Haywood character.Trigger warnings: Brief references to drugs and alcohol
Series: Then There Were Six [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529876
Comments: 14
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

“Ray?”

“Hm?” Ray answered, not looking up.

Ryan walked to the edge of his bed and sat down. He stared at the ground. How was he meant to not sound like they were going to die tomorrow? What could he say other than “this could be the last chance”? How was he meant to beg him to have sex with him without pressuring him? How’d he done it with Michael? He turned and sighed.

“Ray, I want to-“

“Finally!” Ray shouted.

He launched himself at Ryan who fell back, very ungracefully. Ray was attacking his face? He was kissing him. Ray’s teeth knocked against his harshly. He bit at his lips and his tongue flicked over where one particularly hard bite broke skin. Ryan’s head whirled trying to keep up with Ray’s eager and urgent pace. He flipped him, pinning him with his hips. He tossed off his shirt and leaned down to push up Ray’s hoodie. Why he insisted on wearing a hoodie as pjs, the world would never know. Not that Ryan had time to speculate.

He ran his hands down Ray’s bare torso. He seemed small. Was he small? Scars ran all over his skin like patchwork, in different degrees of fading. Knives seemed to be the main theme. He kissed down his torso as he yanked his boxers free. He tossed them as far over his shoulder as he could so Ray could never cover up again and immediately swallowed down his cock. Ray moaned, his hand naturally coming to rest in Ryan’s hair. His hips jerked weakly, but without any real power.

“Ry, Ry, stop!!” He groaned frantically, very weakly pushing his head.

Ryan pulled up, raising his eyebrow. He didn’t seem like he was in distress, what was wrong?

“I’m gonna cum if you do that,” Ray muttered, “I don’t wanna finish until you’re inside me.”

“Fuck!”

Ryan covered his mouth and curled inward.  _Oh, god, oh god!_ He fumbled for Ray’s nightstand to retrieve lube. Ray’s thighs were trembling as he pushed them up. He covered his mouth with his hand and his wrist. Ryan hesitated, but Ray shot him a glare and sent his heel into his leg.

“Alright, alright!” He grumbled, “Impatient!”

He rubbed lube between his fingers and smeared it over his asshole. Ray jolted a bit, but made no sounds.

“Relax, darling,” Ryan spoke softly, “I’ve got you, okay?”

Ray nodded his head and let his body relax into the sheets. He puffed out a long sigh into his hand as Ryan pushed a finger inside him. He relaxed further, eyes closing. Ryan pressed little kisses over his thighs as he prepared him. Ray was breathing deeply, letting out tiny moans. At three fingers Ryan was considering not even trying to put his dick in, just seeing how much of his hand he could get in him. Ray’s body was made for it. He shuddered.  _Never mind, fuck that, I need to be inside him now!_

“R-ray?” He choked out, “Can I-?”

He groaned as Ray’s eyes opened. They were practically completely black, so dark with arousal. He nodded. He looked so pure and raw like this, Ryan suddenly wanted to destroy him, wanted to fuck him until he cried, wanted to bite and suck markings all over him. He tried to not do any of that, instead pushing his thighs up, shifting closer, and unbuckling his belt.

“Wait,” Ray called softly.

He pushed Ryan back and Ryan let him guide him where he wanted him. He was sitting now, Ray on his lap, facing away from him. Ray leaned back against him and lowered himself onto his cock. Ryan grunted, trying to stop himself from moving. He waited, kissing Ray’s neck as he seated himself fully with a dragged out moan.

“Look, Ry.”

He was pointing. Ryan looked around him and his hips jerked upward. Ray had situated them so they could see themselves in his closet mirror. Ray’s hand and wrist were pressed over his mouth again and he shuddered. His eyes were fixed on where their bodies met. He rolled his hips and Ryan groaned, his hands gripping the sheets so tightly his arms shook.  _Come on, come on!_

“Ryan, you can fuck me now.”

Ryan’s hands snapped to his hips and he immediately started thrusting. Ray moaned and panted around his hand, muffled by his hoodie sleeves.

“God, look at you,” Ryan growled lowly in his ear, “Every part of you wants it, look at your thighs shaking.”

He ran his fingers up Ray’s left thigh.

“Your hips moving with it.”

He let go and stopped moving, watching Ray fuck himself on his cock in the mirror. He was breathing very heavily now.

“And your cock leaking.”

He closed his hand around Ray’s cock and rubbed his thumb through the pre-cum spilling from the tip.

“Even your ass is twitching and squeezing around me.”

He gripped one hip and slammed forcefully upwards once before he started up thrusting again. Ray whined as Ryan fucked him and jerked him off. He leaned back against him, but his eyes didn’t leave the mirror until he came in Ryan’s hand. Then they closed and he fell back against Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan nearly shouted when he came not long after him. It was quiet for a moment before Ryan hurried to grab tissues.

“S-sorry,” he muttered as he mopped up his mess.

“You probably shouldn’t let that be your first word after sex, Ry,” Ray laughed.

He turned his head and planted a sweet, gentle kiss on his lips.

“I don’t know how to tell you this,” he mumbled, “But I can’t move my legs. I’m jello.”

Ry chuckled, shaking his head. He carefully moved to lay him down. He retrieved his boxers from across the room with another muttered apology, helping him slip back into them.

“Are you okay with me sleeping here?” He asked, brushing some of the hair from Ray’s face.

Ray nodded, smiling fainting. His eyes were closed again. Ryan slid under the covers and hugged Ray to his chest. He’d already fallen asleep. Ryan let silent tears run down his face. He closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to Ray’s hair.

_ And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone, _

_ Love itself shall slumber on. _


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay guys, is everyone in position?” Michael asked, “Lemme get a sound off.”

“Trial and Error in position.”

“Goddamnit! They got a cool team name too??” Dan grumbled, “Why did I get shafted again??”

“Good news everyone,” Ray spoke up, “Team Rivals is in position. Casey, be nice to Raph.”

Ryan bit back laughter.

“Fuck you, Narvaez,” Dan muttered, “Whatever, Team Rivals I guess. In position.”

“The good news is that you get the girl in the end,” Michael answered dryly.

More snorts of laughter were choked off.

“Again, I feel like we’re missing the joke,” Jack muttered, exasperated.

“Mi-Michael!” Ray wheezed, “We’re Te-Team P-pork Rind!”

They dissolved into a fit of laughter that Ryan tried desperately not to join in. Jack sighed heavily.

“I’m surrounded by idiots,” she muttered, “We’re all in position. We have a fucking mission, guys.”

That sobered them up pretty quickly. Right, Geoff was waiting.

“Okay, guys,” Michael said, “Let’s play!”

“Let’s play!”

~

“Hold still.”

Ryan froze as the facial recognition scanned him. It beeped a cleared alarm. They scanned Dan’s face next and another beep cleared him as well. They started patting them down, a bit more than necessary in Ryan’s opinion. 

“Clear!” Dan’s guard called.

”Truck’s clear!” Another guard called.

Ryan looked down at his assigned guard with a questioning look. She pulled away, finally.

“Clear!”

~

The elevator lowered them into the compound. Ryan had to admit he was not exactly happy about entering the place. Lion’s den, Michael had said. It was worse than that. A sworn enemy’s home-base, filled with people ready to tear them apart at any moment. Of course he wanted to save Geoff and the other Pavlov patients, but the place felt like a tomb. He glanced upwards as the concrete slid closed above him, cutting off fresh air.

_ Tomb. _

He pushed the idea from his head. He and Dan worked quickly and quietly, splitting up the delivery from the truck _they’d...borrowed._ Dan gave a friendly, co-worker style wave as he hopped in the golf cart and started off towards the Combat sector. Ryan slipped onto the seat of his own and the guard started driving towards the Residential sector. 

A heavy freezer in the attached cart rattled as they drove. Once they reached Residential, Ryan and the guard hauled it into the mess hall. They left it for the chefs to unload at their convenience and dropped off the rest of the Residential supplies. 

“You’ve got Science sector supplies as well?” The guard asked.

Ryan nodded confirmation and they slid back into the golf cart’s seats. But not before Ryan double checked that the freezer was unlatched.

~

The guard helped Dan carry the crates of parts into the workshop. As soon as they stepped through the door, the engineers swarmed them. They were pulling out parts, trading between each other, and asking a million questions.

“Did you get our request for the copper tubing?”

“Um, I don’t-“

“How many bearings did you bring?”

“Oh, uh, well-“

“Did you finally bring the lubricant?”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“Ah, is that the filament we requested last week?”

“Er, I th-“

“Alright, guys, come on,” the guard spoke up, “Give the new delivery guy a break.”

Dan gave the guard a grateful smile. They quickly finished unloading the other crates into an unbalanced stack against the wall. 

“Alright, I think the rest is armory,” Dan said, checking the remaining delivery, “I think that’s what Jerry called the “A” labeled boxes.”

He rubbed his earlobe nervously before looking to the guard. 

“So to the Armory? Which way is that?”

“That’s where we started,” the guard explained, “The lower levels are the Armory.”

They hopped back into the golf cart and started on the way they came. 

~

“Um, yeah, this was supposed to go to...Doctor...” Ryan paused to check his clipboard, “Dr. Carter?”

“Ah, she’s down that direction,” the guard answered, pointing, “Just around the corner. First door on the right, shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

Ryan glanced down the hall, readjusting the box to under his arm. He tucked some loose hair behind his ear.

“Okay, I think I can get there,” Ryan mumbled, “You want to start taking the fragile boxes to the lab?”

“Can do,” the guard agreed.

~

“Show time,” Ray muttered, a grin curling on his face.

He walked through the front door of the place and straight to the desk. He waved his hand at the secretary.

“What can I do for-?” She halted, her eyes widening, “Y-you’re-!”

“Ray Narvaez Jr.,” he finished for her, “I believe you may know me as BrownMan as well. Now, before calling security-“

He stopped to pull a switch from his pocket.

“Make sure they know I’m wearing a bomb.”

She was looking grey as he squeezed the control in his hand. He winked.

“If you would be so kind,” He stage-whispered, “Please call in your sighting of the elusive Puerto Rican songbird.”

She lifted her phone with a shaky hand.

“Um, s-security? This is the fr-front desk. We have Narvaez.”

_ Three, two, one.  _


	3. Chapter 3

Michael pushed up on the false bottom, sliding the frozen food aside as he raised up. He pushed the lid up slowly, checking the room for any other people. _Empty._ That was lucky as hell. He slipped out, thankful no one was around to see him smash his face on the floor. He readjusted his tool belt and opened their walk-in freezer.

He pulled the diagram from his pocket and checked where the secret entrance was. He pulled out a shelf and ran a hand over the cold wall. 

“You guys in?” He muttered.

“Yes.”

He found the loose panel and slid it open.

~

Ryan ducked into the server room, looking around to make sure the room was clear. He made his way to the corner, pulling free the devices hidden in the box. He hesitated as he set it up.

If he sabotaged this section of the mission, he could fail it without arousing too much suspicion. He could just pretend something came up. They’d believe him, they trusted him. He’d have to have some sort of legitimate reason for failing, but considering all the things that could go wrong, it wouldn’t be too difficult. 

If he failed...he sighed. He couldn’t fail. Fake AH needed RT to be destroyed. He couldn’t let them down. He couldn’t be selfish. His chest ached as he finished setting up.

_ As the sound of drum calls for my life, _

_ I turn my head where sun is about to set. _

_ There is no inn on the way to underworld. _

_ At whose house shall I sleep tonight? _

~

Dan spun and decked the guard almost before the bathroom door closed. He was relieved they dropped in the first hit. He quickly switched their clothes and removed the bandage from his eye. He took a moment to blink in the mirror to ensure he looked normal. 

He propped the guard up in one of the stalls and stepped out of the bathroom. He took a quick look around before grabbing the last of the delivery to tuck in the stall around the guard. He winced. _Bad luck, mate._ He got into the now-empty golf cart and drove towards the Armory. He was anxious that it seemed to be going so smoothly.

~

“Tsk, boys, don’t be too itchy,” Ray warned.

He turned around, holding the switch aloft. The guards surrounding him were looking restless. He prayed his non-lethal protocol would stay in place long enough. 

“I’d like to speak to your-“

He was cut off by a bullet in his thigh. He sucked in a sharp gasp. _Rude, but technically non-lethal._ He huffed, scowling at the shooter.

“Hey, jackass, it’s bad manners to interrupt,” he growled, “I need to speak to your Director, I hope he has-“

Another bullet sunk into his side. He let out a surprised, pained shout.

“The fuck did I just say?” He grunted.

He looked down at the blood seeping through the bomb vest.

“Well, I guess the jig is up,” he mumbled, tiredly.

He put his hands up as the guards descended on him. The switch was taken from his hand before they cut the vest from him and zip-tied his hands.

“Amateurs,” he muttered, “Zip ties, really? Lame.”

A guard punched him, apparently trying to shut him up.

“‘S gonna take more than that,” he paused, spitting out blood, “To shut my beautiful mouth.”

The next jab went against his gunshot wound and he shouted again.

“F-fuck you!” He snarled, “F-fuckin, man-manners make-maketh man, dillweed.”

They dragged him towards an elevator. He struggled against them and against gravity’s need to pull him to the ground. He was wobbling and hoping.

~

“Shit! Come on, come on!” Michael hissed at the device.

It finally beeped and he quickly swung open the secret door. Gavin and Jack slipped through and went straight for the freezer door. Michael closed and locked the secret door, rushing out after them. 

They were already out of sight in the moment he’d taken to get the door closed up. He was only sweating a little (he was drenched) as he made his way to the elevator. Okay, okay, everything was fine. But...he had to skip his middle mission. That was fine. It was AH, saving it after fucking up was what they did. He stepped on the elevator and someone called for him to hold it. He stuck an arm out, blocking the door. A man jogged up and slipped in. Michael was shaking as he caught a look at the man’s face.

_Oh, fuck, oh fuck! Don’t panic!_ Michael thought as the elevator slid closed. He scratched his ear with a trembling hand. Best not to alarm the others unless necessary.

“Same floor,” the man commented, “What a coincidence.”

He had a slight lisp. From what Michael could see (without openly staring) he appeared to be missing the tip of his tongue. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ray grunted as the guards dropped him in a chair across from the Director. _Shit._ _This was too early._ Everyone had to rush now. They weren’t supposed to figure him out so quickly. He scowled at the man across from him.

“Well, Mr. Narvaez, this is a pleasant surprise,” he sneered, “Your Commander was sure you’d walk right in, but I thought you were a bit smarter than that.”

“I learned to be a suicider from you,” Ray fired back, “Didn’t you send me into AH just to die?”

The Director’s face twisted in disgust.

“Yes, well, that was a poorly thought out plan,” he admitted, “I was quite against it.”

“Gee, I can feel the love from here,” Ray muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, I do love you,” The Director insisted, “You’re quite the accomplishment meant! In fact, one of the greatest of our experiment successes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ray scoffed, “A real fine specimen I am. Not gonna be for much longer though.”

He lifted his bloody hand from where he’d pressed it to his side.

“Losing a lot of blood, my dude.”

~

“Hey, what’re you doing?”

Dan, with extreme effort, managed not to shit himself when the voice called out to him. He looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“Got sent over to check the lift,” he answered, “Apparently-“

“Lift? What the fuck?” The guard interrupted, “You mean the elevator?”

“Bugger,” Dan muttered.

“Isn’t that a British thing?”

The guard was looking at him like he was suspicious. The guard pulled a phone or something that looked like one. He was probably gonna scan Dan’s face. Bad news for him. Without the bandage disrupting the facial recognition, it’d no doubt recognize him. 

Dan rose from where he was crouched, spun on his left foot, and sent his right towards the guard’s head. The guard managed to block and sent a jab to his unguarded flank. They stumbled apart from each other, but wasted little time in coming back together. The guard sent a wild hook towards Dan’s head, to distract from the jab they thrusted towards his solar plexus. Dan stepped to the right, dodging the hook and pushed the jabbing arm to the left so all it hit was air. His left hand uppercut to the guard’s torso causing them to wheeze. He hit them in the head with a solid right hook and snapped his left shin to their torso. As they reeled, he reset and spun, this time his right ankle colliding with their head. He quickly tried to catch his breath and turned back to the lift. He had to get it down before-

“Freeze! Hands up!”

_ Shite. _

~

Gavin winced as Jack boosted him up to the ventilation. Dan and Ray were both solo right now and there was fuck all he could do about it. He pulled up fully and slid through the vent. 

“You good?” Jack whispered.

“I’m good,” he whispered back.

He listened to her footsteps as he wiggled his way forward. The vent was barely big enough for him. He wasn’t a huge fan of hot, suffocating vents that he could get his ass stuck in and die from. The alternative was risking Ray’s life, so he really preferred to be the vent crawler, but that wouldn’t stop him from bitching. He clicked the light on his watch. He needed to wiggle faster.

~

The man hit the emergency stop on the elevator and Michael had a strong feeling he was in trouble. He could smell his own salty sweat and the tinny air of the enclosed space. His heart was pounding in his chest.

“S-Sir?” He questioned, trying not to look at him.

“You know, you’re more flexible than I’d thought you’d be,” the man commented casually, “Your videos are quite amazing. I never expected a human being could twist so beautifully.”

Michael went pale. Videos. Of course Teacher had given the videos to RT. Michael flinched at the sound of an auto knife opening. He turned to face the man, his eyes nervously flicking to the knife.

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to let me recreate the videos instead of killing me?”

The man chuckled coldly and advanced on Michael. Something about him had Michael backing into the wall of the elevator. His blood hummed with a desire to flee like a caged animal. He could barely breathe and he was almost sure the elevator vibrating. The man leaned close to his face.

“Oh, you’ll recreate the videos,” he whispered, low and cold, “But I’d like to make some new ones.”

The knife pressed against Michael’s trembling lower lip, forcing his mouth open. The blade fogged over with Michael’s terrified panting. It trailed to the corner of his mouth and with a single quick motion, cut into it. Michael let out a pathetic sort of whimper and the man mirrored the effect on the other side. He was shaking and shivering with fear.

“There we go,” the man cooed, “Now you’ve got more room to take cock in your mouth.”

Michael started crying.

“Pl-please don’t k-kill me!” He sobbed.

“I won’t,” the man promised, pressing close to him, “Not until you bore me anyway.”

The knife was back again, trailing across his throat as he cried. He could feel it press enough to bleed, tiny trickles dripping down his neck.

~

“Turn around slowly!”

Instead, Dan lunged forward, arming the explosive. He got a bullet to his calf for that and another in his hip as he spun and dove toward the shooter. Their head bashed against the floor harshly as he tackled them, knocking them out cold. He scrambled to his feet and ran for the maintenance tunnel. 

Adrenaline surged through him, numbing his wounds as he sprinted. He got the door open just as the explosive went off. He yanked the door closed as he fell forward. He dropped and rolled, putting out the fire that had caught the back of his uniform. He laid there gasping a moment.

“I-I’m okay,” He croaked to the others. 

_Silence._ He was suddenly aware there was nothing in his ear. He sat up too fast and scrambled around looking for the earpiece. He grunted through his pain and dizziness. It was nowhere nearby. It’d fallen out sometime before he got through the door. Which was now sealed, so even if it was still intact somehow, he couldn’t get back to retrieve it. He was deaf and blind.

_ Shite. _

~

As the man brought the knife up to Michael’s chin, the distant sound of an explosion distracted him. The knife dug in, but the man was distracted. Even in his fear-addled mind Michael could see a window.

His knee snapped up, right into the man’s crotch. He grabbed the knife from his loose grip and slashed across his chest. As he stumbled backwards, Michael front kicked his stomach, sending him wheezing into the opposite wall of the elevator. He flew at him, stabbing the knife into his gut until it sunk to the hilt. He twisted it, causing the man to howl in pain. He yanked it free and let the man drop to the floor. He pressed his boot against the wound as he leaned down.

“Your turn, little mouse,” he muttered darkly. 


	5. Chapter 5

“D-Dan?!” Gavin whispered frantically, “Dan a-are you o-okay?!”

He tried not to slow down as his heart pounded. No affirmative call after the explosion...Dan was...tears stung his eyes as he slid forward. He had to still be alive, he had to!

“D-Dan?!” He mumbled around tears.

“Gavin, it’s okay,” Ryan soothed, “I’m sure the explosion just knocked out the earpiece. I’m headed that way now, alright? Just calm down. I’ll get it him if he’s in trouble, okay?”

“I-I...o-okay,” Gavin sniffled.

“Good boy,” Ryan praised, “Just focus on your task.”

“O-okay.”

Gavin rubbed at his tears and kept shuffling forward. Even if Dan was in trouble, he still had to get his task done. Ryan was better at helping and fighting anyway. Gavin tapped his earpiece to compose himself as he tried to stop his crying. Just keep moving forward. By the time he reached his destination, he had managed to pull himself together. He peered down the grate in the vent. _Focus._ He tapped his earpiece.

“I’m here.”

~

Ryan felt anxious as he jogged towards the armory through the maintenance tunnels. Firstly, he wasn’t really that convinced he’d be able to find Dan, especially if he had still been in the sector when the bomb went off. Second, he’d left the wiping devices completely unguarded. If someone with half a brain walked in, the mission was screwed. Half of him almost wished someone would walk in, but he felt awful for thinking such a thing.

He rounded a corner, still deep in thought and nearly knocked into a gun pointed at him. He managed to skid to a halt before that happened. He instinctively knocked it aside before he realized it was Dan.

“Oh, shit! Dan??” 

Dan wobbled towards him, looking unsteady as he squinted.

“Ryan?” He mumbled.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he confirmed, moving forward to offer support, “What the hell happened to you?”

Dan half fell, half slumped against him.

“Sh-shot,” he muttered weakly, “Twi-twice. And back. F-fire.”

Ryan put an arm around him, trying to avoid the singed area in his uniform. He heard a sort of grunting noise in his ear that he thought was Jack.

“He’s mostly okay,” he assured her, “Still standing anyway. We’re headed to rendezvous. I’ll try to patch him up.”

He swept the man up in a bridal carry, avoiding pressing against his wounds.

“Y-you sure kn-know...h-how to-ah! Sh-Show a g-guy a, ugh, a g-good ti-time,” Dan grunted out with much difficulty.

“So I’ve heard.”

~

Michael tapped his earpiece on in time to hear Ryan assuring Gavin that Dan was okay. Apparently he’d missed some fun. The man was now cuffed to the railing in the corner, gurgling around the ear to ear smile Michael had given him. He used his keycard to turn off the emergency shut down. The elevator started back up and he checked his watch. He needed to hurry up. The elevator dinged and he was greeted by several guns.

“Hello, boys,” he greeted cheerfully, “I don’t suppose any of you are fans of my videos as well?”

~

Ray hissed, but not at the pain from the doctor patching him up. Shit that meant they-

“Sir, we’ve got Jones,” a voice crackled over the radio in the Director’s hand.

Got Michael. _Fuck._ He tried not to let his face show how much that worried him.

“Bring him into my office,” The Director ordered smugly, “Oh and be sure to put a bit of fear into him.”

Ray couldn’t hide his furious scowl at the words. The Director just grinned, all smug and pleased. Ray wanted to have a gun so he could turn the man into Swiss fucking cheese.

~

“M-Michael?” Gavin whispered fearfully.

They had Ray and Michael now. And Dan was out of the fight. Everything was going really badly. His hands squeezed in anxious fists as he waited. Technically the plan was still in place. For him at least. The door of the room below him opened. He tensed, watching the people who entered. _Three._

One was in a lab coat. One was in a security uniform. And the final was in hospital scrubs. The programmer, the guard, and the patient. Gavin squinted through the slats of the vent. That wasn’t Geoff, was it? They strapped him to the chair-bed-table thing and Gavin got a good look at his tattoos. He swallowed nervously. It was Geoff. But...he was tiny, his face was clean shaven, and his body looked bent and twisted unnaturally in several places. _Jesus._

He pushed the thoughts from his head. They’d deal with that later. For now he needed to tranquilize the two staff members and hope for the best. All he had to do was wait for Jack.

_ Knock, knock! _

The guard went to the door and the programmer turned their back to him. He eased the grate open carefully and pushed the tranq gun under it. He aimed for the exposed skin on the back of the guards neck. As he waited for the right moment, the unimaginable happened: his phone rang.


	6. Chapter 6

Several things happened in a rush of events.

As Gavin’s phone rang, the guard turned and the dart flew through the air, landing on their face instead of neck. 

Jack shoved into the room as the dart landed, trying to contain the issue. Gavin scrambled for his phone and fell directly onto his head in the room. 

Before another second could pass, across the compound, gas was released from carefully hidden canisters. An alarm rang out immediately and lights began flashing. Evacuation protocol had begun. 

The programmer went for a radio, but was immediately tackled by Jack. Gavin rolled and aimed, firing into the top of their head. Team Trial and Error had no time to hesitate, both quickly leaping to their feet Jack took the security uniform while Gavin rushed to free Geoff. 

~

“Attention all personnel, do not evacuate! This is a false alarm, do not evacuate!”

Ray’s stomach twisted. The Director had discovered the plot a step ahead apparently. He raised his eyebrows at him nonchalantly. 

“False alarm?” He questioned, “There’s not like a tornado or something coming, is there?”

“As if you don’t already know,” the Director snapped before turning back to his radio, “Get Jones in here now!”

Ray didn’t like the angry, ruthless sort of tone to the guy’s voice. It was the kind of voice people used when they were planning to pry information from you. Ray’s throat felt tight. 

~

Gavin and Jack tapped their earpieces and turned to each other.

“You can’t get up there,” Gavin argued before she could open her mouth, “You stay here with Geoff and I-“

“Wh-where are you g-going?” Geoff interrupted, tone heated.

“I need to get to Ray and Michael,” Gav explained, “They need back up.”

“B-back up o-of one guy?” Geoff demanded, “No way. I-I’m going w-with you!”

He stood, wobbling, but still somewhat steady, miraculously. 

“No offense, El Presidente,” Gavin bit back, “But you look like shit and you can’t fit up there.”

Geoff refused to argue, just picking up the guard’s discarded handgun and getting under the open vent. Jack and Gavin shared an exasperated look and moved to the vent as well. Gavin was somewhat annoyed to find that Geoff was about as thin as him now. Jack boosted him up to lead the way, then Geoff went up with only minor difficulty. Gavin tapped his earpiece again.

“Team G is en route,” he muttered, “Hang in there.”

_Team G? Does that mean his name also starts with a G?_ Geoff wondered as they shuffled through the vents.

~

Michael hissed as they stuck him with something. A syringe of some kind. Looked pretty scary. Oh, god, what had they put in him?? Was it some sort of disease?? Or a drug that would make him go crazy?? He was hyperventilating as they dragged him into the Director’s office. The dropped him on the carpet in front of someone. He let out a terrified squeak and threw his hands up to block his face. 

“Pl-please d-don’t hurt m-me!” He cried.

“What...what did you do to him?” Ray asked, tone low.

Michael peeked around his fingers at him.

“R-ray?” He whimpered.

“Why is he like that?!” Ray demanded, “What the fuck did you do to him?!”

Michael cowered away from his yelling.

“Mr. Narvaez,” the Director tutted, “I believe you will be answering questions.”

Ray’s fists clenched. Bastards.

“Fine,” he grunted.

_ Hurry guys, please. _

~

Ryan pulled a gas mask over his face and swiped the keycard he’d stolen over the door’s scanner. Immediately the section of shuttle track set off an alarm as the gas billowed through the now open doorway. The only way to force evac was to extend the range of the gas. This was insanely risky with all their people still inside, but they needed to get evac started now.

~

“Gas has been detected between the Pavlov and DNA sectors, sir,” a security tech muttered, “We need to evacuate Pavlov if we want to save it.”

The Director stared icily at Ray while his phone was to his ear. Ray didn’t know what bad news he’d gotten, but he had a feeling it was bad news for him too.

“Send every guard available to Pavlov,” he finally grunted, “Eyes wide open for suspicious characters and check where Geoff Ramsey is. I want to know his status immediately. Start evac, but everyone who leaves must be scanned.”

~

Jack grunted as she finally got the vent closed back up. She carefully slipped into the hall, quickly hurrying around a corner. She fell in line with the other guards, pretending she too had gotten the order to evacuate the patients. As long as her acting wasn’t too bad, this would work spectacularly.

~

“Alright, Narvaez,” the Director began, “I’ll only ask nicely once. Where are your friends?”

“I’m a lone wolf.”

The Director made a hand motion and a guard broke Michael’s already bloody nose. Ray winced.

“Where are your friends?”

“Probably at your mom’s house.”

Michael shrieked as they broke his left index finger. Tears ran down Ray’s face. Michael babbled out pleading cries.

“Where are your friends?”

“Central Perk.”

Michael sobbed as they broke his middle finger. Ray mirrored his crying, struggling down an urge to rush towards him.

“Where are your friends?”

“I...I don’t know!” Ray cried, “Pl-please stop it!” 

A third finger. Ray sobbed, begging them to stop. 

“Where are your friends?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know, stop it! Please don’t-!”

Pinky finger. Ray let out a frustrated scream at Michael’s pained howling. He struggled against his own restraints.

“Hm. Perhaps this isn’t the correct form of punishment for you?” The Director mused, “Perhaps you’d prefer to see the live action version of the tapes your precious starred in.”

“N-no! Please, stop it! St-stop hurting h-him!” Ray screamed, “I d-don’t know! I d-don’t f-fucking know!!”

Michael whimpered and sobbed as they hoisted him off the ground. Ray screamed, begging them to stop. They did not. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Duck,” Gavin growled.

He kicked in the door and open fire all around the room. Michael and Ray had dropped at his command, protecting them from the covering spray Geoff let loose over his shoulder. Taken completely off-guard, no one managed to fire back before they went down. Gavin immediately rushed to Michael, helping him cover himself and hugging him tightly. Geoff kept his gun leveled at the Director.

“Where is he?” He demanded, “Where is he now?”

“I don’t know,” The Director replied coldly, “Ask the mut bitch.”

He jerked his chin at Michael who suddenly seized Gavin’s gun and swung around, shooting the man in the eye. 

“Stop fucking calling me a dog, you fucking slimy bastards!” He shouted.

He fired several more rounds into him before swaying and crumpling to his knees. 

“Michael,” Geoff remembered suddenly, “Michael!”

He rushed towards him and threw his arms around him. Michael buried his face in Geoff’s shoulder, squeezing him back tightly. 

“Long time no see,” he cried.

“You have no idea,” Geoff muttered back.

Before any more heartfelt reunions could happen, an alarm blared in the office and a red light flashed. 

_ Thunk, thunk, thunk! _

“Was that...doors locking?” Ray piped up.

Gavin, the only non-injured one in the room, stood and went to try the doors that led to the elevators. He pushed on the handles. 

“Yup.”

“What’s going on?” Jack spoke in their ears.

“The Director’s office just shut down,” Geoff explained, “Looks like the door we just came through is still open though.”

“It is meant to be a secret off-shoot of the maintenance tunnels,” Jack pointed out, “Hold on one second, I’m down here, I want to check something.”

A few moments later they heard her trying to open a hatch.

“Looks like the maintenance tunnels are shut off now too.”

“Good thing I just jumped down here,” Ryan muttered, “Jack if you’re here too, did the Pavies get out?”

“Yes, they all got out,” she answered.

~

“Linda Thatcher” gave a polite nod to one of the programmers as they turned over the last Pavy. She ushered them on board and stepped onto the bus herself. She closed the doors and turned to address the patients. They were all worn-down, exhausted, and injured. Scared too, but they had hard, determined faces. She grinned.

“Hi there!” She called to them, “No need to be alarmed, I’m here to help. I was sent here by Fake AH to get you guys away from RT.”

She gestured towards the windows on the same side as the doors. The Pavies looked out them at another bus across from theirs, but identical. After the programmers were all loaded on, the bus was closed up and suddenly the inside burst into flames. After a gruesome moment, the Pavies started to cheer and turned back to the woman on their own bus with hopeful smiles. She smiled back.

“Fake AH came here for one of their own,” she explained, “But they refused to leave any of you behind. They’re pretty good people for a bunch of criminals.”

The Pavies looked between each other, some whispering a moment. Finally, one stood up, though they wobbled a bit on unsteady legs.

“Let’s play?”

“Let’s play!” She called.

“Let’s play!” Was cheered in 26 different voices.

Her grin was a mile wide as she plopped down in the driver’s seat and grabbed her radio.

“This is Tuggey,” she called, “We’re moving out.”


	8. Chapter 8

Fake AH wasted no time in searching the Director’s office for an exit. Surely the place had a secret escape route in the case of shutdown. It was Michael who found it. He ran his hand under the Director’s desk and found a switch. When he flipped it, the desk opened like a door on hinges, revealing a surprisingly large door in the floor. Everyone crowded around immediately. 

“Retinal lock,” Ray pointed out, tapping the scanner.

“And a keypad,” Gavin added, pointing, “Four digit code it looks like.”

“And a fingerprint lock,” Michael muttered, “But it’s small, isn’t it?”

He frowned as he held his thumb over it. 

“That’s a life lock,” Ryan spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise. 

“You...Haven’t come across a life lock before?” He questioned, “Its for your index finger and its specifically made to ensure a person is alive when they use it.”

All eyes glanced at the Director’s body. 

“Sorry,” Michael mumbled.

“Relax, it’s not your fault,” Geoff assured him, “Now everyone step back. I’ve got a gamble.”

He leaned over the door, pressing his hand over the life lock and opening his eye widely over the retinal scanner. After a tense moment, the door beeped and two tiny, green lights appeared, one on either lock. Geoff looked at the keypad next. 

_Four digit code._ He squinted at the buttons. They also had letters on them like a telephone. None of them appeared to be worn from use. It was just under where the retinal lock was. Geoff straightened his neck. The keypad was directly below his mouth. A lightbulb flickered to life in his brain and he punched in the number.

_ 2483 _

The door beeped and Geoff almost wished it hadn’t. He didn’t want to think about the times when the story behind that number occurred. It would be dangerously close to remembering these assholes used to be his family. 

He shuffled awkwardly backwards and rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. _Fucking assholes._ He tried not to think about who they used to be, who they’d been when the story behind that code had happened. He pushed the thoughts away as they descended the steps down into a panic room.

After they got the next door open, they started down a long tunnel. It was slow going with the many injuries between them, but eventually they ended up in a small bunker like structure. Geoff unlocked the door, but before anyone could open it, Ryan spoke up.

“Wait,” he called softly.

He moved to the door and turned to look at them. They stared at him in confusion. He smiled sadly.

“Before we leave,” he continued, “I want you guys to know I’m sorry. I love all of you and I’m glad I finally got a family.”

“Why are you saying this?” Jack asked suspiciously, “What’s going on?”

Ryan sighed and turned to the door.

“You’ll see soon enough,” he whispered.

He pushed the door open and sunlight filled the little bunker. Geoff in particular struggled with the light. How long had it been since he’d seen the sun? His hand reached weakly for the rays as though he might be able to catch them. His brain felt fuzzy as they filed out of the bunker. He looked up at the azure ceiling over his head. _So big, so blue._ He felt dizzy.

The sound of a car door closing drew his attention. Two armored vehicles were sitting in front of them. A grizzled looking man was walking towards them. Ryan stiffened into a salute as he approached.  _Vagabond._ Geoff pressed a hand against the pounding in his temple as memories flooded through him.  _Ryan._ When they first met...

“Commander,” Ryan grunted.

“At ease, Agent Haywood,” the man’s gruff voice ordered.

Geoff watched Ryan move to a proper resting stance.

“Your mission?” The Commander questioned.

“Completed, sir.”

“Good work,” he praised, “And your...?”

He glanced behind Ry at Fake AH.

“Associates?” He finished.

“Clear, sir.”

“Very well,” he commented, “We’ll be taking you to rehabilitation directly.”

He gestured to one of the vehicles. The back door opened to receive Ryan.

“Yes, sir.”

He snapped off a salute and entered the car without a glance at Fake AH. The door closed. Geoff stared at the closed door for a moment.

“We appreciate your assistance,” the Commander called to them stiffly, “Your help has been... useful in completing Haywood’s mission.”

“Who are you?” Geoff questioned.

The man considered the question a moment.

“We’re Haywood’s family,” he finally answered.

“No, you fucking aren’t,” Michael growled.

The man ignored him and returned to the car he came from. Ryan’s family watched silently as he disappeared from view. Ryan stared at his hands as they pulled away.

“Good to have you back, Haywood.”

“Yeah.”

~

“Well, can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”

The other RT associate nodded in agreement.

“Yes, the  Director was doomed,” he sneered, “Don’t get me started on the other one.”

The first snorted and rolled his eyes. The guy was technically still alive getting patched up, but they had no intention to help him.

“Let’s just kill Geoff when we find him,” he muttered, “Too much hassle for one guy.”

“Agreed.”

The clear sound of a beer bottle clinking against a whiskey glass seemed to echo in the still night.


	9. Chapter 9

Ray’s shoulder ached as he watched Michael through the scope of his rifle. Old wounds aching meant a storm, right? Considering he was sweating without his hoodie, he doubted that was the case. He focused on the guy Michael was talking to.

_ -just supposed to hand it to you? _

Michael’s back was to him. He smiled. So similar to his first incident with them. He winced as he recalled Ry had snuck up on him. He wished he’d do that now.  _Come home,_ he thought, his mind drifting as he did. His neck prickled like he was being watched. He couldn’t look away from Michael, but he felt like a million eyes were staring at him. He was sweating worse now. His hand felt slippery. His heart pounded. Someone was sneaking up on him and it wasn’t Ryan.

Michael held up two fingers. Ray fired, refocused and fired again. Now that two of his people were dead, the guy was surrendering. He passed Michael the item in question and Ray waited until they were out of sight to roll to his back. He pulled Rose as he did and pointed at the empty air. No one was there. He sighed and draped his arm over his eyes. He’d been almost certain there was someone there that time.

He moved his arm to stare at the bright blue sky. His shoulder throbbed. There was no way it was going to rain. He hoisted himself up and grabbed his sniper. No time to wallow: he needed to get down to the front door to meet Michael.

~

Michael winced, limping as he made his way towards the car. Why was his foot hurting suddenly? Right over where the chip had been. He shuddered as he slipped behind the steering wheel. As if he needed more reminders of his trauma. He popped open the briefcase and ruffled through the contents. The blueprints were all there.  _Good._

He closed the case and leaned back against the seat. Maybe it was going to rain? He thought, shifting his foot uncomfortably. His side now also started hurting. Old wounds hurt when it’s going to rain, right? He sighed. That was probably an old wives tale.

He leaned his head on the steering wheel. His throbbing foot was reminding him of things he wanted to forget. Of his trauma, of his mistakes, of his own insecurities. But mostly it reminded him of Ryan and Gavin. Ryan who had pulled the chip out and Gavin who had held him as Ryan seared his wound closed. Now they were both gone, leaving him haunted by after images of them like ghosts on his retinas.

He sat up and pulled his gun from its holster. He turned it over in his hands. Would a big bang and a flash of light destroy the images that taunted him? Would the gunpowder and metal vanquish his demons? He gripped it in his hand, placing his finger over the trigger. Would eating a bullet make him forget? He put the muzzle on his tongue. Maybe he could be free, if he just squeezed his index finger.

He holstered the gun with a heavy sigh. Geoff and Jack needed him to run Fake AH. He couldn’t kill himself. It was damn tempting though.

~

Geoff winced and rubbed at his bad knee with his good hand. His bad hand throbbed painfully. Aching wounds. Wasn’t there something about that? Bad omens or something?

“Storm coming?” Jack asked, giving him a weak smile.

“Is that how the old wives tale goes?” He mused, “Guess we’ll see some rain.”

Jack looked up into the clear sky. She blinked heavily and looked away immediately. Geoff sighed.

“Don’t strain your eyes,” he muttered.

_Any more than they already are,_ he didn’t say. She rubbed at her forehead. Her migraines seemed to be getting worse.

“Dan?”

The kid was there with pain killers immediately. He offered some to Geoff as well, but Geoff declined. He preferred to let his ghosts haunt him. Reminders were extremely important to him now that so much of his memory still hadn’t come back. He stared up at the ceiling,  the sky and sighed. It was hard to get things to slot together right when some of the pieces were missing.


	10. Chapter 10

Ryan paused his stretching to wince. He was aching suddenly. Too many of his old wounds were hurting. Thigh, arm, butt. He pushed through it and finished stretching. He was exhausted from working out, but something still buzzed under his skin. He walked to the balcony and stared out over the thick forest. It was even thicker than the forest that surrounded the Fake AH safe house. He leaned against the railing with a distant, sad smile.

_ Yo, Vagabond, you done with your sobbing jerk off session? _

Ryan’s head dropped as he remembered Gavin’s words. More ghostly words floated through his ears.

_ Didn’t know Michael Myers was such a gentleman. _

_ Ha! You gotta pick something other than scissors, Ry! _

_ Hey, we sound alike now. _

He shivered as the cold wave of memories washed over him. One particular memory rose to the surface.

_ “Vagabond, huh? That’s pretty scary sounding.” _

_ Ramsey was a gruff looking man, but seemed friendly enough. He’d crouched down in front of Ryan with a sly sort of smile. _

_ “I’m Geoff Ramsey. I run Fake AH. It’s nice to meet you, Vagabond.” _

_ He held his hand out. Ryan hesitated, but eventually took it and they shared a firm handshake. Ryan looked at him, calculating. He seemed different in person for some reason. _

_ “How would you like to join our family?” _

_ Ryan’s breathing had caught in his throat. Family. He’d always wanted that. A real one. How had Ramsey known that that was the one thing Ryan ever dared to dream about? He searched his face. Ramsey didn’t know that. He wasn’t trying to press a weak point. He just genuinely wanted to welcome Ryan. _

_ “Okay.” _

Ryan pressed his palms to his eyelids. He didn’t want to cry. The others would take it as a sign of reverting or slow progress. As if he needed more attention on him. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as his wounds ached like painful memories. Was it going to storm?

~

Gavin puffed smoke into the air. He felt like his thigh was being pinched where the bullet had gone in. He grunted in annoyance as he scrolled through Facebook. Boring as always. He opened his contacts and stared at the names. _Dan, Geoff, Jack, Michael, Ryan, X-Ray._ He scrolled between them sighing out smoke. He hadn’t texted any of them in awhile now.

He felt bad, but he didn’t know what to say. Talking to them made him want to get high. And they were busy, he told himself. They didn’t have time to deal with his shitty small talk. He stared at Ryan’s number for a long moment. It was useless now, probably wouldn’t even ring through, but it felt wrong to delete it. He put away his phone and stared out at the buildings across from the patio.

He winced and rubbed at his thigh where he could feel the scar tissue through his jeans. Healed broken bones or rickety joints hurt when it was going to storm. Why the hell was his healed gunshot wound aching? He looked at the rain dripping from the sky. Was this even a storm? London was just grey and wet most of the time, so why would his old wound start hurting specifically right then?

He shrugged as he stubbed out his cigarette. _Whatever._ Made no real difference considering all the other things that hurt all the time. He stepped back in his room. The guys tailing him had seen him, so he could go back to sleep for a few hours. He dropped onto the fluffy bed and pulled his phone back out.

“I miss you guys,” he muttered.

He sighed and buried his face in a pillow before he could start crying.

**Author's Note:**

> This is tentatively the end. I’m considering writing some prequels, but I dunno. Let me know if you want to see that!  
> Thanks everyone for sticking around for the long haul! ^3^


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